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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Fiona Mountford's rating
Reader rating
Triple bill: the Norman Conquests trilogy stars Stephen Mangan, front, as a rather too-puppyish Norman with, from left, Jessica Hynes, Paul Ritter, Amanda Root and Ben Miles
It's so easy to underestimate Alan Ayckbourn. The fact that his plays tend to be comedies focusing on the beleaguered suburban middle classes does not preclude the revelation of profound,
uncomfortable truths about the human condition.
This assured revival of his masterful 1973 trilogy, showing in London for the first time in 34 years, usefully reminds us to take the laughter very seriously.
Loveless marriages, loveless non-marriages: there is hardly a shred of unmitigated happiness to be found in Table Manners, Living Together or Round And Round The Garden.
Yet what prevents us from turning to Ibsen for a spot of light relief are some of the most blissful comic set-pieces and guffaw-out-loud moments British theatre has produced.
Never has the carrying of a waste-paper basket generated such mirth.
The action of the three plays — which can be seen in any order, although I would recommend starting with Table Manners, the funniest and most illuminating — runs simultaneously, from the Saturday night to Monday morning of a fractious family gathering.
Norman (Stephen Mangan) has been thwarted in his attempt to whisk sister-in-law Annie (Jessica Hynes) away for a dirty weekend in East Grinstead, much to the amusement of his wife Ruth (Amelia Bullmore) and bemusement of Annie’s dithering would-be partner Tom (Ben Miles).
Other brother Reg (Paul Ritter) and his spouse Sarah (Amanda Root) also have plenty to say on the matter.
The Old Vic auditorium has been successfully reconfigured in the round for this project and director Matthew Warchus makes the most of these new possibilities with a fluid, involving production.
Nonetheless he doesn’t always get the comedy to spin and fizz as it might, and there are occasional longueurs where dramatic momentum ought to be.
Although it’s fun to spot cross-references between the pieces, Warchus also fails to make a compelling case for revisiting the same scenario three times over.
There’s lovely work from Hynes as the dishevelled Annie, left by her siblings to care for their bedbound mother.
Ritter, all tight slacks, gives the standout turn in the unshowy role of Reg, the archetypal henpecked Seventies husband with the razor-sharp beak.
It’s Mangan who upsets the delicate acting equilibrium with his overgrown puppy of a Norman.
For us to make it successfully through to Monday morning, we need to know more than he reveals about the motivation for Norman’s amorous kamikaze act.
Until 20 December (0870 060 6628). www.oldvictheatre.com
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
I've seen 2 of the 3 plays so far. The plays are excellent, but I am rather put off by the amount of spit that constantly sprays from Norman's mouth (actor Stephen Mangan). Has no one told him how disgusting it all looks?
- Dnm, London
I saw Round and Round the Garden a couple of weeks back and enjoyed it enormously! The fact that the theatre has been rearranged makes you feel so much closer to the action, which takes place in the centre on a round stage at floor level (if you are in front row watch out for your toes!) Brilliant cast, Ritter (Reg) stands out, his character is absolutely hilarious. We are determined to see the other 2 plays as the superb dialogue and amazing cast make this production a great success! highly recommend it... Kevin Spacey sat 3 seats away from me which added to the excitement.
- Maria, London
